Show Notes
A strong return on ad spend can look like success. But if product quality, reputation, inventory, cash flow, or contribution margin is breaking underneath it, the business may still be losing.
In this episode, Mike Michelini speaks with Tim Sutton, founder of Launchpresso, at the Cross Border Summit venue in Chiang Mai. Tim explains why ecommerce advertising cannot be managed as a set-and-forget channel and why the platform dashboard is only one part of the operating picture.
What You Will Learn
- How Google, Meta, and TikTok demand different approaches to intent, creative, and campaign control.
- Why automated campaign systems still need active oversight.
- How apparently strong advertising results can coexist with product, reputation, inventory, and cash-flow problems.
- Why pausing campaigns can make it difficult to recover the learning and momentum built over time.
- How a good advertising partner can help improve decisions upstream, including the offer, website, product, and margins.
- Why contribution margin gives operators a more useful view than platform-reported ROAS alone.
- How to use Black Friday, seasonal events, bundles, and added value without training customers to wait for discounts.
About Tim Sutton
Tim Sutton is the founder of Launchpresso, an agency focused on digital advertising for Shopify and ecommerce brands. His path from mechanical engineering and stockbroking to online business gives him a practical, numbers-driven approach to growth.
Continue the Conversation at Cross Border Summit
Tim will go deeper at Cross Border Summit 2026, where he plans to examine a real ecommerce case built around a deceptively simple question: if the agreed advertising KPI looks good, did the business actually make money?
Learn more about the eighth annual Cross Border Summit in Chiang Mai at 2026.crossbordersummit.com.
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